Debbie Schlussel: Inside Scoop on Islamic Cell Phone Buyers Who Planned to Blow Up Mackinac Bridge
By now, you've probably read the news that the three Palestinians caught in Caro, Michigan with 1,000 TracFone cellphones are involved in a plot to blow up Michigan's Mackinac Bridge (it connects both Michigan peninsulas). Mackinac Bridge site here.
Adham Abdelhamid Othman, Maruan Awad Muhareb, and Louai Abdelhamied Othman planned to attack the bridge which holds an annual Labor Day walk across the 5-mile long bridge. Walkers include the Governor of Michigan.
But here's what you didn't read:
Sources tell DebbieSchlussel.com that the men are from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the group that works in concert with HAMAS in performing homicide bombings in Israel. The group once even considered merging with HAMAS, at the time that it was headed by University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian, a founder of the group. Maybe now sleepy Americans will awaken to note that Palestinian terrorism is not just Israel's problem. It's America's.
Sources say the plot was uncovered because law enforcement personnel observed two or more other men videotaping the Mackinac Bridge.
Sources also say that it is very unlikely the men could have succeeded in blowing up the Mackinac Bridge--even with the chips from 1,000 phones for 1,000 bombs--as it is several miles long (it's the world's third longest suspension bridge). At a total length of 26,372 feet, the steel structure can support 38,486 tons of weight and is very, very strong and fortified. The sources say that, likely, the plan would have succeeded in bombing cars driving on the bridge, but not bringing the structure down.
Posted by Debbie on August 13, 2006 06:28 PM to Debbie Schlussel